New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-05-18
The Salvation Army.

Robert Van Brunt, lately promi-
| nent member of the Salvation Army,
is under sentence OF death at Roches-
ter for the murder of young Roy.
From an interview with reporter of
the Democrat this extract is made:
"Van Brunt, you seem to place lit
tie reliance upon the final result of
this hoped-for appeal to the higher
courts, andyou seem to clearly realize
that your life is nearly ended, and
that the dreadful event can at most
be postponed but little. Now, with
these grave convictions in your mind,
[ wish you would tell me something
about the true inwardness of this Sal
walton Army to which you belonged y
Van Brunt, who is only % years Of
age, meditated moment, eyed his
questioner curiously, and then laugh
ed O. bit in a peculiar manner to him
self.
ri think" he said, after a little, ri
! think there are a few good people yet
IN this army; | mean people who real
ly want to benefit mankind, but I tell
you most Of the soldiers, and officers
particularly, are thinking more OF
womank1nd, "and the face ofthe man,
who in due course OF the law had less
than ten days before his death on the
gallows, took on a wicked leer, which
startled even the experienced inter.
viewer. who was mentally, but none
the less unerringly, nothing the testi-
mony Of one who knew that he was
facing almost certain If not Immediate
death.
II ought to know this Salvation
Army" continued the condemned
murderer, his telltale face adding
strange emphasis to his candid words.
II Dug int to know them; I have been
there myself and the officers have
talked with me about it.
'"There is g class Of young girls
drawn into the meetings." he went en-,
'swho are easily enough influenced by
the officers, and are controlled by the
officers and men for their own pur-
poses, and those are the girls they are
after. | don't know as can just ex-
actly describe the influence they have
over them, but it just controls them,
and lots of them have this influence"
Perhaps they mesmerize them,"
quietly suggested the newspaper man.
eyes, said the slayer of Roy and
the sutton OF his sister, 81 put it all
down as something like that"
':4ou know this is the general char
acter Of these soldiers you associated
with, them" persisted the newspaper
man.
eyes" l know it from my own expe-
rience. and [ have talked it all over
with the officers
Il imagine you mean your observa-
ton, not your personal experience"
eyes, l mean my observation, and
again the uncanny, salacious express
sion stole over the features of the man,
and the visitor did not regret that his
disagreeable task was nearly ended.
Evan Brunt,'' said he, s.from what
you know of this army, and from the
position in which you find yourself,
what do you think OF the general effect
Of the practices OF this Salvation
| Army?"
The witness was a competent one,
and it was thela question the inter
viewer ever expected to address to
Robret Van Brunt, and the answer
came with a rapidity that carried
conviction with it:
Il told you somegood people get in
to the Salvation Army, but the en-
thuslam wears off IN two or three
weeks, and they get to be as bad as
the rest. Il the Salvation Army al
together was swept from the earth it
would be better; betterfo for every body.''